What is Experiential Marketing?

Experiential Marketing in Action (See If You Can Find the Company Who Sponsored this Marketing Campaign)

Experiential Marketing Definition

Experiential marketing is a branding activity that seeks to engage potential customers with a business and its brand through events, experiences and sponsorships. However, these are not product demonstrations or sales presentations! Rather, they are unique experiences that help potential customers positively associate with the brand and its message or mission.

With today's social media capabilities, the marketer's hope is that those who do have an experiential marketing experience will share it with their friends and followers, thereby amplifying the reach of the brand through influencers.

Some examples of these experiential marketing activities can include:

Special invitation-only concerts or shows sponsored by the marketer.

Sponsored services or products to allow people to experience these offerings while engaged in another activity.

Sponsorship of events where the target market demographic would gather. In this case, the marketer seeks to be associated as an organization that serves and understands the market. This goes beyond merely throwing money at an event to have a logo plastered on a sign! If going for the experiential factor, marketers will take it one more step to become involved in the actual event itself with their products, personnel or services.

Unique, one-of-a-kind experiences that are only made available to a limited (and targeted!) market segment. This might include the opportunity to meet a celebrity, participate in a "tell your grandchildren someday" type activity, a behind the scenes tour or other memorable experiences not available to the general public.

As is obvious, this is done with a non-sales approach by:

Increasing the number of "touches" that a business has with potential customers in a positive, non-threatening way.

Keys to Making Experiential Marketing Work

Though the intent is to be subtle, the brand must be obvious enough for people to make an association with it. This can be a tricky. So keys to making it work include:

Marketers need to think outside (or inside!) the proverbial box to come up with unique and surprising ways to positively associate themselves with audiences. In the featured kitten campaign, people were invited into a special box that allowed them to play with kittens as a surprise remedy for stress. The thought chain is a bit long here. Participants will need to enjoy their kitten experience so much that they may consider adopting a cat or kitten. When the cat is then adopted, they'll need to remember the brand that introduced them to the wonderful world of cat ownership. Then they'll need to remember that brand as a kitty litter manufacturer and look for the product at the store.

Marketers must consider what action they want participants to take... sales or otherwise.Alteratively, the kitten campaign could also have used this experiential marketing effort to connect with existing kitten and cat owners, many of whom can't wait to see—and share!—the next cute cat YouTube video with their social media friends. (That's why we have the Internet, right?). That video definitely scores on the cute cat factor! As well, the brand developed a "virtual" stress reduction box with a YouTube video for those who couldn't experience for real.

And for Walking Dead Fans Out There, Check This!

Integrating Social Media and Experiential Marketing

A campaign that skillfully melded social media and experiential marketing is Bud Light's #UpForWhatever campaigns. Bud Light drinkers were invited to participate for the opportunity for some exclusive access events and experiences such as:

The chance to play electric football with a famous college and NFL football coach.

A living room and backyard tricked out in the theme of the fan's favorite NFL team.

Bud Light drinkers were invited to audition for an exclusive party weekend with performances by hot musical acts, going to "beer school," getting served treats by a famous rap artist, sports activities and more.

One fan summed up his experience saying that the best part of the experience is that one didn't know what would happen next. Again, the elements of surprise and uniqueness are critical to providing a memorable campaign.

Also notice that Bud Light used the #UpForWhatever hashtag for the campaign so that fans could share their experiences and conversation on Twitter, Facebook and other social media channels.

Experiential Marketing Downsides

As is evident from the above discussions, experiential marketing is not the same as a sales presentation or even advertising. So it does present a wealth of challenges to marketers including:

Difficulty Measuring ROI. As noted in the discussion on the kitten therapy segment, the path from initial contact to the ultimate sales opportunity can be quite circuitous and participant prospects could drop out of the sales funnel at any point.

Cost. Looking at the examples presented here, imagine how expensive each one of these efforts was! This is not to say that all experiential marketing efforts have to be expensive. Leveraging social media can help absorb some of the public relations costs while still achieving coverage and reach. But the costs must be carefully evaluated before attempting any of these efforts.

Remembering the Experience, but Not the Brand. Some experiences can be so intriguing that the brand sponsoring it may be completely missed or dismissed... not what the marketer intended.

Deceptive? Some participants may feel duped if they realize that their awesome experience was actually part of a marketing effort.

The Negative Experience. What if a brand's customer prospects truly aren't "up for whatever?" And it was probably a trick for the kitty litter folks to recruit participants that weren't allergic (physically or emotionally) to cats without letting on what the experience was all about. Knowledge and research of the target market demographic is an absolute must, along with consulting an attorney on liabilities prior to launch.

Disclaimer: Any examples used are for illustrative purposes only and do not suggest affiliation or endorsement. The author/publisher has used best efforts in preparation of this article. No representations or warranties for its contents, either expressed or implied, are offered or allowed and all parties disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for your particular purpose. The advice, strategies and recommendations presented herein may not be suitable for you, your situation or business. Consult with a professional adviser where and when appropriate. The author/publisher shall not be liable for any loss of profit or any other damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. So by reading and using this information, you accept this risk.

Comments

To comment on this article, you must sign in or sign up and post using a HubPages Network account.

Author

Heidi Thorne 3 years agofrom Chicago Area

Thanks, LouCannon! Glad you found it interesting. Happy New Year!

Amanda Louise Cannon 3 years agofrom Wynndel BC Canada

Interesting and worthwhile read!

Author

Heidi Thorne 3 years agofrom Chicago Area

Hi ArtDiva! Yep, the slippery slope is one that marketers definitely need to be mindful of. It can be very subtle indeed. Thanks for stopping by and adding your insight to the conversation!

ArtDiva 3 years ago

Well, surprise, surprise. A subject closely related to my own background in design. Many, do not "get" what's behind advertising design/art/illustration/commercials—the message, the purchasing power it elicits with image alone. And, talking about the "slippery slope" taken to the extreme. Is nothing sacred any longer? Victoria's Secret is as close to soft porn as it gets. Not prudish, but wonder the defined difference between many of their new promotions and Hustler magazine.

Author

Heidi Thorne 3 years agofrom Chicago Area

Indeed, CMHypno, being creative and imaginative is critical to making marketing work these days. And you're so right, getting the balance is quite a balancing act. Thanks for checking out the hub. Cheers and Happy Holidays!

CMHypno 3 years agofrom Other Side of the Sun

Thanks for all the great information Heidi. Brands really need to be far more creative and imaginative in getting their messages across and building awareness. But getting the balance right must be tough

Author

Heidi Thorne 3 years agofrom Chicago Area

Hi teaches12345! Yep, surprise is the crucial element and, you're right, it is difficult to achieve in today's competitive marketing landscape. Glad you enjoyed. Have a great weekend!

Dianna Mendez 3 years ago

Marketing really these days does need the element of surprise to capture an audience these days. With all the competition, having an edge on creative marketing is going to put your brand above others. Great article on this topic.

Author

Heidi Thorne 3 years agofrom Chicago Area

Just found this cool Walking Dead experiential marketing example. Check the video!

Author

Heidi Thorne 3 years agofrom Chicago Area

Hi Iris! Thanks for stopping by and for your kind support. Happy Monday!

Author

Heidi Thorne 3 years agofrom Chicago Area

AliciaC, I would also willingly volunteer to spend some time in the kitten stress therapy box. :) Thanks for stopping by and have a beautiful week!

Author

Heidi Thorne 3 years agofrom Chicago Area

Catherine, like you, I'm always finding new advertising and marketing methods that I've never heard of before... even though I'm in the biz, too. (I go through those "huh?" moments quite often.) Agreed, some of today's marketing methods ride that slippery slope between helpful and opportunistic. I'm sure you'd feel the same way about "native advertising" which is another hot topic in ad circles. Luckily, the FTC is starting to step in there. So watch for some developments coming there, too. Thanks for adding your insight to the conversation! Have a great week!

Catherine Giordano 3 years agofrom Orlando Florida

This is very interesting. I was not aware of this term before even tho I am in marketing (as a market researcher.) The world of advertising has changed so much. In some ways it is better because it serves to enrich the subject's life, and in some ways worse because it is so sly slipping past the defenses the subject has set up to wad off advertising. Voted up and interesting.

Linda Crampton 3 years agofrom British Columbia, Canada

This is an interesting hub, Heidi. Experiential marketing sounds like a great idea, even with its potential problems. I would most definitely volunteer to enter the kitten stress reduction box, even if I knew that it was a marketing ploy!

Cristen Iris 3 years agofrom Boise, Idaho

This is excellent information. Voted up.

Author

Heidi Thorne 3 years agofrom Chicago Area

Billybuc, kittens and bunnies playing together? That is cute overload! Glad you stopped by today. Have a beautiful Sunday!

Author

Heidi Thorne 3 years agofrom Chicago Area

Thanks, NMLady! Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for taking time to read and comment!

Bill Holland 3 years agofrom Olympia, WA

Our kitten is playing with one of our rabbits as I write this. I'm sooo into cute. Think outside the box? What a novel concept for writers. :) Happy Sunday to you.

NMLady 3 years agofrom New Mexico & Arizona

Great topic. Very interesting. Very well written to BTW.

Author

Heidi Thorne 3 years agofrom Chicago Area

FlourishAnyway, since I'm on the board for our county's pet shelter foundation, I would have been sooooooo in the kitten stress reduction box, too! Absolutely, too adorable. And I love the cats who explore the GoPro cameras.

I can see why the tobacco company did this type of marketing to bolster their brand. They're extremely limited in the number of marketing avenues they can choose from. I can also see why they didn't want their smoking clientele pushing it on the physical level. :)

Thanks for stopping by and adding that story to the conversation! Hope your weekend is filled with kitten/cat therapy fun!

FlourishAnyway 3 years agofrom USA

OMG this was over the top cute! I am such a sucker that if they had snagged me, I'd be TIDY CAT brand loyal for life. When I used to rescue kittens and adult cats, there wasn't anything that made me more content than a happy, trusting kitten snoozing in my arms. They take all the stress away.

When I worked for a tobacco company that no longer advertised on billboards, magazines, etc. they did a lot of this type of marketing. TFor example, they have a huge ranch in Montana that they'd invite certain smokers up to and make a huge deal about (e.g., a sweepstakes winner). They'd send them a cowboy hat, it'd be an all expenses paid visit, the company would pay all associated taxes, then for days the group would do all kinds of adventurous activities that didn't involve much strenuous breathing (because, after all, they are smokers).

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

This is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)

Google AdSense Host API

This service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

This is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

Facebook Login

You can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)

Maven

This supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)

We may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.

Conversion Tracking Pixels

We may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.

Statistics

Author Google Analytics

This is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)

Comscore

ComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)

Amazon Tracking Pixel

Some articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)